I have known my Thai sister (she requested to remain anonymous, so I will call her Miss "L") since 1991. Since then, we both have grown older and wiser. Through my years of living in Thailand and knowing Thai people, I have broadened my horizons about diversity and about life in general. My Miss L was one of the two of my closest best friends who took me by my hand and hence the genesis of my Thai life experience.
I believe that people who are involuntarily placed more on the fringes of society, and who experience trials, prejudice, and intolerance have built in their psyche a special wisdom, and a different kind of awareness which enables them to see beyond the hype and smokescreens, not always joining the lemmings in doing the same thing as fad or fashion dictates. Thailand is a more tolerant and accepting society toward diversity, as the LGBTQ community is highly visible and could be seen in prominent places in Thai society, especially in pop culture. I even heard of plans in some Thai schools to have a third restroom in the facilities.
Miss L lives a modest and quiet life in one of her three houses which she owns in a Bangkok suburb, away from the noise and smoke has many material things in her life but doesn't let materialism overwhelm her or be a dominant factor in living her life.
She as well as many of the other transgendered friends whom I have come to know throughout my years in Thailand have a special knowings, or a wisdom which I was able to relate to and felt confident in asking from them.
She is non confronting, non violent and avoids situations which could become aggressive. If a person is being caustic and confrontational she looks away, steps aside and doesn't let it get to her. She never loses her temper, and when something goes not as planned, she chuckles and shrugs it off in a ชั่งหัวมัน, or also as Thai slang Mai Phen Rai. Around her modest and eccentric home, (it has many different species of wild animals living freely like an open zoo, and a huge area of her house devoted to huge fish and swimming creatures of every kind!) as she waters the plants and feeds her animals, there is a meditation and calming feeling that goes along with it as I followed next to her going about her ways. I hope I can continue learning from her.
I believe that people who are involuntarily placed more on the fringes of society, and who experience trials, prejudice, and intolerance have built in their psyche a special wisdom, and a different kind of awareness which enables them to see beyond the hype and smokescreens, not always joining the lemmings in doing the same thing as fad or fashion dictates. Thailand is a more tolerant and accepting society toward diversity, as the LGBTQ community is highly visible and could be seen in prominent places in Thai society, especially in pop culture. I even heard of plans in some Thai schools to have a third restroom in the facilities.
Miss L lives a modest and quiet life in one of her three houses which she owns in a Bangkok suburb, away from the noise and smoke has many material things in her life but doesn't let materialism overwhelm her or be a dominant factor in living her life.
She as well as many of the other transgendered friends whom I have come to know throughout my years in Thailand have a special knowings, or a wisdom which I was able to relate to and felt confident in asking from them.
She is non confronting, non violent and avoids situations which could become aggressive. If a person is being caustic and confrontational she looks away, steps aside and doesn't let it get to her. She never loses her temper, and when something goes not as planned, she chuckles and shrugs it off in a ชั่งหัวมัน, or also as Thai slang Mai Phen Rai. Around her modest and eccentric home, (it has many different species of wild animals living freely like an open zoo, and a huge area of her house devoted to huge fish and swimming creatures of every kind!) as she waters the plants and feeds her animals, there is a meditation and calming feeling that goes along with it as I followed next to her going about her ways. I hope I can continue learning from her.
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